Favorite Ingredient Friday - Salad Edition (Spinach & Strawberry Salad)

I made this salad for the first time last Easter. It was the first holiday dinner that I ever hosted, and it (thankfully) was a huge success. This salad was fresh and delicious and comes together so quickly, it was a nice reprieve from all of the other dishes that took so long to prepare.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
• ¼ cup almonds, blanched and slivered

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion.
2. Cover, and chill for one hour.
3. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds.
4. Pour dressing over salad, and toss.
5. Serve immediately.

When I made this recipe the first time, I accidentally used the raspberry wine vinegar that I had bought to use in another dish, and didn't realize it until I had already done it. It was delicious! So, just use whatever vinegar that you have on hand.

I also left out the almonds, because I forgot them at the store! No one knew any different.

I always use an egg slicer to slice strawberries. They come out completely uniform, and its so much quicker than slicing them all by hand! If you wanted to make this salad when strawberries aren't in season, you could make it with mandarin oranges.

Needless to say, it's quick and easy and very versatile and is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!